The homeland of the Rohingya people lies on the border between the South Asian and the Indo-Malaysian Rooms of the House of Islam. It is this location between huge ethnic, linguistic, religious and political blocks that causes specific challenges for this people group.
The Muslim Rohingyas have been living in the northern part of the Arakan Mountains on the coast of the Bengal Gulf for centuries. Much of that time they lived
peacefully with their mostly Buddhist neighbor peoples. When Burma (known as Myanmar today) gained independence in 1948, the Rohingyas faced an overwhelming majority population of Buddhists. In the beginning, they were recognized as a minority with equal rights. But in 1982, the military dictatorship issued a law that didn’t accept the Rohingya people as citizens any more. That left their two million people as one of the largest ethnic groups in the world without
recognized citizenship.
The growing discrimination reached its sad climax in 2012, when violent turmoil broke out between Buddhists and Rohingyas. Hundreds of people were killed
and many Rohingya villages destroyed. Since then, 100,000 Rohingyas have been kept in refugee camps or ghettos—often only a few miles from their original place of residence. This situation has led to a growing refugee movement. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas have fled into neighboring countries and beyond. Sadly, they often fall victim to human trafficking or end up in criminal activity.
The Rohingyas are on a journey into an uncertain future—uprooted and without a homeland, without advocates, and without hope. But God “does not forget the cry of the afflicted” (Psalm 9:13 ESV). In some places, Rohingyas have found hope and joy through faith in Jesus Christ. But most of these precious people still have no opportunity to hear the gospel.
LET’S PRAY
- For justice in the resolution of this conflict.
- That the Rohingyas can live in peace in their homeland and the areas they flee to.
- For global efforts that are trying to give the Rohingyas the opportunity to thrive, live in dignity and offer their children a better future.
Post credited to the editors at Worldchristian: visit http://www. worldchristianconcern.org/donate to support mission efforts to reach the unreached for Christ.
